APRIL 7, 2010

Secretary Land, organ donor partners urge residents
to add their names to the state Organ Donor Registry

If you are at a Secretary of State office today, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land would like you to do one thing while you are there -- check to see if there's a red heart on the front of your driver's license or state ID card.

If there isn't one, then Land urges you to take a moment on this special day to learn more about the heart and its connection to organ, tissue and eye donation. Today is Secretary of State Buddy Day and over 400 volunteers from Gift of Life Michigan, the Michigan Eye-Bank, Lions Club and Hospice of Michigan are staffing tables from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Secretary of State offices across Michigan to meet with the public and promote organ, tissue and eye donation.

"Our message for this Buddy Day is simple," Land said. "If you don't have a red heart on the front of your license or ID card, then you're not on the state's Organ Donor Registry. Every name on the registry brings hope to the 3,000 Michigan residents waiting for a transplant, so the more people who sign up, the better."

Land is visiting offices in Traverse City, Honor, Suttons Bay, Kalkaska and Grayling to help promote Buddy Day.

The Department of State and its organ donor partners host Buddy Day each year in support of April as Donate Life Month. Many of the Buddy volunteers are transplant recipients or members of donor families, and all are enthusiastic about sharing the story of organ donation -- a true gift of life.

In addition to visiting any Secretary of State office, you may enroll as an organ donor on the department's Web site at www.Michigan.gov/sos.

You will receive either a heart sticker or a new license or state ID with the heart symbol printed on it. The heart symbol is printed on the license or ID when the card is renewed or replaced.

"Everyone should consider themselves a candidate for organ, tissue and eye donation and join the donor registry," said Richard Pietroski, chief executive officer for Gift of Life Michigan. "Your age, race or medical history doesn't prevent you from signing up. It's a simple act that can change lives forever."

This is the first year that Hospice of Michigan volunteers have worked as Buddies. Land welcomed them, adding that it is the tireless work of the hundreds of volunteers that make Buddy Day possible.

"We're pleased that Hospice of Michigan is joining us in promoting organ, tissue and eye donation," Land said. "Our Buddy Day volunteers are the 'heart and soul' of the campaign. Without them, our outreach wouldn't be nearly as effective and we thank them for their time and effort."

To learn more about organ and tissue donation, visit the Gift of Life Michigan Web site at www.giftoflifemichigan.org.

Information about cornea transplants and sight restoration is available at the Michigan Eye-Bank Web site at www.michiganeyebank.org.

For more information about caring for loved ones with advanced chronic illness, visit the Hospice of Michigan Web site at www.hom.org.